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| Mafia Boss or Good Neighbor? London Court Set to Rule | Mafia Boss or Good Neighbor? London Court Set to Rule |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| LONDON — To the Italian police, he was Domenico Rancadore, or “the professor,” a Mafia boss on the lam as a dangerous fugitive for almost two decades. To those who lived near him in a bland West London suburb, he was Marc Skinner, a family man, former teacher and “one of the best neighbors” who spent contented hours buffing the paint jobs on his upscale cars. | LONDON — To the Italian police, he was Domenico Rancadore, or “the professor,” a Mafia boss on the lam as a dangerous fugitive for almost two decades. To those who lived near him in a bland West London suburb, he was Marc Skinner, a family man, former teacher and “one of the best neighbors” who spent contented hours buffing the paint jobs on his upscale cars. |
| On Friday, Mr. Rancadore may discover which of those rival personae — gangster or good guy — will determine his immediate destiny. | On Friday, Mr. Rancadore may discover which of those rival personae — gangster or good guy — will determine his immediate destiny. |
| Mr. Rancadore, 64, was arrested by the British police on Wednesday on a European warrant issued by the Italian authorities. A British judge was set to rule, possibly on Friday, whether the warrant was valid and whether Mr. Rancadore should be freed on bail. | Mr. Rancadore, 64, was arrested by the British police on Wednesday on a European warrant issued by the Italian authorities. A British judge was set to rule, possibly on Friday, whether the warrant was valid and whether Mr. Rancadore should be freed on bail. |
| The case has proved to be one of those August news items that titillates readers, listeners and viewers with its curious juxtaposition of conflicting images: from Sicily to suburbia, as The Independent newspaper put it. | The case has proved to be one of those August news items that titillates readers, listeners and viewers with its curious juxtaposition of conflicting images: from Sicily to suburbia, as The Independent newspaper put it. |
| “Not much happens in Uxbridge, a West London commuter suburb just inside the M25” orbital highway, The Independent reported on Thursday. “Or at least it didn’t until today, when a quiet, dapper and ‘very pleasant’ gentleman who lived on Manor Waye and was often seen polishing his cars was revealed to be a wanted Sicilian mafia boss.” | “Not much happens in Uxbridge, a West London commuter suburb just inside the M25” orbital highway, The Independent reported on Thursday. “Or at least it didn’t until today, when a quiet, dapper and ‘very pleasant’ gentleman who lived on Manor Waye and was often seen polishing his cars was revealed to be a wanted Sicilian mafia boss.” |
| According to court filings in London, Mr. Rancadore is wanted in Italy to serve a seven-year prison term on charges of Mafia membership, extortion and other serious crimes. The Italian authorities had placed him on a list of “dangerous fugitives,” the daily La Repubblica reported. | According to court filings in London, Mr. Rancadore is wanted in Italy to serve a seven-year prison term on charges of Mafia membership, extortion and other serious crimes. The Italian authorities had placed him on a list of “dangerous fugitives,” the daily La Repubblica reported. |
| As a top Mafia member, the Italian authorities said, Mr. Rancadore went by the sobriquet U profissuri, the professor, from a Mafia clan at Trabia near Palermo, the Sicilian capital. But according to British media reports, he lived in England under the assumed name Marc Skinner and had been a physical education instructor before retiring to live on a state pension. | As a top Mafia member, the Italian authorities said, Mr. Rancadore went by the sobriquet U profissuri, the professor, from a Mafia clan at Trabia near Palermo, the Sicilian capital. But according to British media reports, he lived in England under the assumed name Marc Skinner and had been a physical education instructor before retiring to live on a state pension. |
| The defense lawyer, Euan Macmillan, said at a court appearance on Thursday that his client “has been in this country since 1993, so 20 years. He came here as a free man on his own Italian passport with his family. He has led a blameless life in this country for the past 20 years. He has lived a quiet life and his family have grown up here. He was as surprised as one would be, understandably, when the police arrived at his property.” | The defense lawyer, Euan Macmillan, said at a court appearance on Thursday that his client “has been in this country since 1993, so 20 years. He came here as a free man on his own Italian passport with his family. He has led a blameless life in this country for the past 20 years. He has lived a quiet life and his family have grown up here. He was as surprised as one would be, understandably, when the police arrived at his property.” |
| According to British media reports, neighbors remembered him as what Joan Hills, 76, who lives nearby, called “one of the best neighbors you could ever have.” | According to British media reports, neighbors remembered him as what Joan Hills, 76, who lives nearby, called “one of the best neighbors you could ever have.” |
| The Rancadore semidetached home was said to be distinguished by unusually tall hedges and closed circuit television cameras. | The Rancadore semidetached home was said to be distinguished by unusually tall hedges and closed circuit television cameras. |
| According to another neighbor, Terry Stidder, 53, Mr. Rancadore argued with people nearby about the intrusive dimensions of his hedge — a familiar phenomenon in the suburban battle for privacy — but insisted that “I’ve got to have this.” | |
| Mr. Stidder said Mr. Rancadore drove upscale cars that “always appeared new and he would take a bit of pride in them. He would be out cleaning them.” | Mr. Stidder said Mr. Rancadore drove upscale cars that “always appeared new and he would take a bit of pride in them. He would be out cleaning them.” |
| “We always thought he was a chauffeur because he had such nice cars,” Mr. Stidder said. | “We always thought he was a chauffeur because he had such nice cars,” Mr. Stidder said. |